From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   On Close Friendship with Jesus:  (I)   
      
   When Jesus is with us, all is well, and nothing seems hard but when   
   Jesus is absent, everything is difficult. When Jesus does not speak to   
   the heart, all other comfort is unavailing; but if Jesus speaks but a   
   single word, we are greatly comforted. Did not Mary Magdalene rise at   
   once from the place where she wept, when Martha said, `The Master is   
   come, and is asking for you' (John 11:28)? Oh, happy the hour when   
   Jesus calls us from tears to joy of spirit! How arid and hard of heart   
   you are without Jesus! How foolish and empty if you desire anything   
   but Jesus! Surely, this is a greater injury to you than the loss of   
   the whole world!   
   --Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 2 Ch 8   
      
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   12 December – Saint Finnian of Clonard   
   (also called Finian, Fionán or Fionnán in Irish)   
      
   “Tutor of the Saints of Ireland”  Monk and Founder of Monasteries the   
   most famous being Clonard Abbey, Confessor, Ascetic, Missionary,   
   Teacher, miracle-worker – Born in 470 at Myshall, County Carlow,   
   Ireland and died in c 549 to 552 at Clonard, Meath, Ireland of plague.   
   The Twelve Apostles of Ireland studied under him.  Saint Finnian of   
   Clonard (along with Saint Enda of Aran) is considered one of the   
   fathers of Irish monasticism. Patronages – Alexandria-Cornwall,   
   Diocese of Ontario, Canada, Diocese of Meath, Ireland.   
      
   St Finnian, a native of Leinster in Ireland, was destined to become   
   one of the greatest fathers of Irish monasticism. Finnian was born to   
   a noble family in the second half of the 5th century, most probably in   
   the village of Myshall in the present-day county of Carlow. When his   
   mother was still pregnant, she once saw in a dream that a bright flame   
   flew into her mouth and then flew away like a glorious bird, which at   
   once flew between the northern and southern parts of Ireland,   
   attracting a huge flock of other birds from all over the country,   
   which followed it. The woman told her husband about her vision and he   
   understood that their child would become a great teacher and mentor.   
   All this later came true.   
      
   The young St Finnian was probably educated in Idrone. His first   
   teacher was St Fortchern of Trim, a disciple of St Patrick. Some time   
   later, the Saint founded his first three monasteries, which were   
   situated at Rossacurra, Drumfea, and Kilmaglush. According to some   
   sources, St Finnian studied for a short time in the great monastic   
   centre of St Martin in Tours in Gaul. It is certain that this ascetic   
   learned the fundamentals and skills of monastic life in Wales, in the   
   tradition of the great hermits of Egypt. There his teachers included   
   great fathers of the Welsh Church – St David, St Gildas the Wise and,   
   particularly, St Cadoc. This experience proved to be extremely useful   
   for the saint in the future.   
      
   St Finnian meant to go to Rome after his training in Wales but an   
   angel appeared to him in a vision and told the saint to return to his   
   native Ireland, where he was to become “a teacher and tutor of Irish   
   Saints”. Significantly, among the future disciples of St Finnian was   
   St Columban (543-615) (find his story here:   
   https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/23/saint-of-the-day-23-november-st   
   columban-543-615/),   
   one of the greatest early Irish missionaries. After some 20 or 30   
   years in Wales, St Finnian returned to Ireland, where he founded a   
   great number of churches and monasteries, for example, at Aghowle (in   
   Wicklow) and Mugna Sulcain. The holy man liked Aghowle very much and   
   wanted to stay there but again the angel appeared to him and commanded   
   him to go further, as that was the will of God.   
      
   As was the case with other early Irish saints, St Finnian became a   
   traveling Missionary. On the island of Skellig Michael, not far from   
   the shores of Kerry, which later became one of the most famous   
   bastions of Irish Orthodoxy, St Finnian built several churches and   
   founded monastic communities. After that the ascetic visited the   
   monastery of Kildare, under the great Abbess St Brigid (c 453-523)   
      
   About St Brigid:   
   https://anastpaul.com/2019/02/01/saint-of-the-day-st-brigid-of-i   
   eland-kildare-c-453-523/)   
   and remained there for some years. He left Kildare to continue his   
   journeys and finally reached Clonard, situated on the River Boyne in   
   the present-day county of Meath. And the Lord revealed that in this   
   very old and pagan place, where there had never been any churches or   
   monasteries before him, the saint’s main labours were to take place.   
      
   At Clonard, St Finnian, firstly built a small cell and tiny church and   
   in the year 520 founded a monastery, which became the largest and the   
   most important in Ireland. He became the first abbot of this monastery   
   and organised life there, taking as his model the practices of Welsh   
   monasteries. This form of monasticism was based on the traditions of   
   the holy fathers of the East with the compulsory study of the Holy   
   Scriptures.   
      
   St Finnian was venerated as one of the greatest saints of his time.   
   Numerous disciples flocked to him. According to his life there lived   
   some 3000 monks at Clonard at the same time. Monks and laypeople,   
   bishops and priests, poor and rich—everybody came to him for spiritual   
   advice. The fame of St Finnian, loved and honoured for his exemplary   
   life, learning, gift of prayer and many miracles, spread all over   
   Ireland and far beyond. Monks and theologians from various countries   
   visited St Finnian‘s monastery. Over the centuries thousands of monks   
   there studied the Holy Scriptures, the works of the Church Fathers,   
   grew in monastic life and were then sent as Missionaries to distant   
   lands. The rule of Clonard was known for its strictness and   
   asceticism. The brethren slept little and rose early in the morning,   
   prayed frequently and fervently, ate little and worked hard.   
      
   St Finnian himself used to sleep on the bare, earthen floor of his   
   primitive cell and never put anything under his head. His iron girdle   
   served him as chains in his ascetic labours. According to the evidence   
   of one of his disciples, the venerable abbot became so emaciated   
   because of his many years of extreme ascetic life that his ribs could   
   easily be seen through his clothes.   
      
   The disciples of Clonard established hundreds of churches and   
   monasteries in Ireland as well as in other countries. According to a   
   custom which existed in Clonard, every monk who left the monastery as   
   a Missionary, took with him a copy of the Gospels, a crozier and some   
   holy object (for example, a reliquary) and later, when building his   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)